Amnon Rubinstein (; 5 September 1931 – 18 January 2024) was an Israeli legal scholar, politician and recipient of the

Israel Prize The Israel Prize (; ''pras israél'') is an award bestowed by the State of Israel, and regarded as the state's highest cultural honor. History Prior to the Israel Prize, the most significant award in the arts was the Dizengoff Prize and in Israel ...

. A member of the

Knesset The Knesset ( , ) is the Unicameralism, unicameral legislature of Israel. The Knesset passes all laws, elects the President of Israel, president and Prime Minister of Israel, prime minister, approves the Cabinet of Israel, cabinet, and supe ...

between 1977 and 2002, he served in several ministerial positions. He is referred to as the “founding father of Israeli Constitutional Law” In later life he was dean of the Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) in

Herzliya Herzliya ( ; , / ) is an affluent List of Israeli cities, city in the Israeli coastal plain, central coast of Israel, at the northern part of the Tel Aviv District, known for its robust start-up and entrepreneurial culture. In it had a populatio ...

and a patron of

Liberal International Liberal International (LI) is a worldwide organization of liberalism, liberal political parties. The political international was founded in Oxford in 1947 and has become the pre-eminent network for liberal and progressive democratic parties aim ...

Biography

Rubinstein was born in

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( or , ; ), sometimes rendered as Tel Aviv-Jaffa, and usually referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the Gush Dan metropolitan area of Israel. Located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline and with a popula ...

to Aharon, a building contractor and founder of the "Rubinstein Group", and Rachel, who immigrated from

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

to Israel in the early 1920s. His family opposed

Labor Zionism Labor Zionism () or socialist Zionism () is the left-wing, socialist variant of Zionism. For many years, it was the most significant tendency among Zionists and Zionist organizations, and was seen as the Zionist faction of the historic Jewish ...

and in his youth, he supported the

Irgun The Irgun (), officially the National Military Organization in the Land of Israel, often abbreviated as Etzel or IZL (), was a Zionist paramilitary organization that operated in Mandatory Palestine between 1931 and 1948. It was an offshoot of th ...

. Rubinstein was active in public life from a young age. In the early 1950s, he was a member of the Volunteers' Row, a public organization aimed at fighting corruption and helping new immigrants. He attended the Geula Commercial High School in Tel Aviv and later at a high school in

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. During his mandatory service in the

Israel Defense Forces The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the State of Israel. It consists of three service branches: the Israeli Ground Forces, the Israeli Air Force, and ...

, he served as an officer in the Artillery Corps. He later retrained and served in the anti-aircraft unit, continuing his service there in the reserves. After his military service, Rubinstein studied in

law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior, with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been variously described as a science and as the ar ...

, economics, and

international relations International relations (IR, and also referred to as international studies, international politics, or international affairs) is an academic discipline. In a broader sense, the study of IR, in addition to multilateral relations, concerns al ...

at the

Hebrew University of Jerusalem The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI; ) is an Israeli public university, public research university based in Jerusalem. Co-founded by Albert Einstein and Chaim Weizmann in July 1918, the public university officially opened on 1 April 1925. ...

. He did his legal internship at the State Attorney's Office and also with attorney

Haim Yosef Zadok Haim Joseph Zadok (, born Haim Wilkenfeld; 2 October 1913 – 15 August 2002) was an Israeli jurist and politician. Early life Zadok was born in 1913 in Rava-Ruska in Eastern Galicia in Austria-Hungary (now Ukraine). He studied philosophy and Je ...

, who later became the Minister of Justice. Rubinstein was licensed as a

lawyer A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters. The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as w ...

in 1961.Davar, "Recognition for the State Attorney's Office as 72 New Lawyers Certified", 6 October 1961. He received his Ph.D. in law from the

London School of Economics The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), established in 1895, is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the University of London. The school specialises in the social sciences. Founded ...

in 1960.Israel Prize website. His doctoral dissertation, titled "Void and Voidable Actions in Administrative Law", was published as a book by

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the publishing house of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world. Its first book was printed in Oxford in 1478, with the Press officially granted the legal right to print books ...

. At the age of 25, during his studies, Rubinstein married Roni a fellow student and granddaughter of Jacob and Perla Shlush, founders of Tel Aviv. They met at Kibbutz Afikim during fortification work prior to the

Suez Crisis The Suez Crisis, also known as the Second Arab–Israeli War, the Tripartite Aggression in the Arab world and the Sinai War in Israel, was a British–French–Israeli invasion of Egypt in 1956. Israel invaded on 29 October, having done so w ...

. Roni later became a lawyer, and the couple had a son and a daughter.

Political career

Rubinstein returned to public activism after the

Yom Kippur War The Yom Kippur War, also known as the Ramadan War, the October War, the 1973 Arab–Israeli War, or the Fourth Arab–Israeli War, was fought from 6 to 25 October 1973 between Israel and a coalition of Arab world, Arab states led by Egypt and S ...

. In March 1974, he co-founded the

Shinui Shinui () was a Zionist, secular, and anti-clerical free market Liberalism worldwide, liberal party and political movement in Israel. The party twice became the third-largest in the Knesset, but both occasions were followed by a split and collaps ...

Party. Shinui merged with other liberal groups to form Democratic Movement for Change (Dash) in November 1976. Dash won 15 seats in the 1977 elections, but did not achieve its aim of being a decisive political force as

Menachem Begin Menachem Begin ( ''Menaḥem Begin'', ; (Polish documents, 1931–1937); ; 16 August 1913 – 9 March 1992) was an Israeli politician, founder of both Herut and Likud and the prime minister of Israel. Before the creation of the state of Isra ...

formed a government without its support. When Dash joined Begin’s government in November of that year, Rubinstein refused to join the coalition, arguing that its platform was insufficiently represented in the agreement. Dash split into three parties on September 14, 1978. Rubinstein led a faction called the Movement for Change and Initiative, later renamed Shinui – Center Party. The new Shinui was elected to the 10th Knesset, the 11th Knesset, and the 12th Knesset. In 1992, Shinui merged with the Ratz and

Mapam File:Pre-State_Zionist_Workers'_Parties_chart.png, chart of zionist workers parties, 360px, right rect 167 83 445 250 Hapoel Hatzair rect 450 88 717 265 The non-partisans (pre-state Zionist political movement), Non Partisans rect 721 86 995 243 ...

parties to form

Meretz Meretz (, ; ) was a left-wing political party in Israel. The party was formed in 1992 by the merger of Ratz, Mapam and Shinui, and was at its peak between 1992 and 1996 when it had 12 seats. It had no seats in the Knesset following its failure ...

. Rubinstein significantly advanced the Israeli Constitution Project. During the 12th Knesset, he initiated the proposal for the Basic Law on Human Rights and suggested splitting it into four separate proposals, including the Basic Law: Human Dignity and Liberty and the Basic Law: Freedom of Occupation. This strategy led to the successful passage of both laws. Elected to the 9th Knesset in the 1977 elections, Rubinstein and served continuously until 2002. He held various leadership roles, including chairing the Constitution, Law and Justice Committee (in the 15th Knesset), the Economic Affairs Committee (in the 14th Knesset), and the State Control Committee (in the 15th Knesset). He was also a member of the Judicial Selection Committee. In 1999,

Avraham Burg Abraham "Avrum" Burg (; born 19 January 1955) is an Israeli author, politician and businessman. He was a member of the Knesset, chairman of the Jewish Agency for Israel, Speaker of the Knesset, and Interim President of Israel. He was the first ...

, the

Speaker of the Knesset The speaker of the Knesset (, ) is the presiding officer of the Knesset, the Unicameralism, unicameral legislature of Israel. The Speaker also acts as President of Israel when the President is incapacitated. The current speaker is Amir Ohana, who ...

, received a false message from Zalman Shoshi claiming that Rubinstein had died. In response, the Knesset members held a

moment of silence A moment of silence (also referred to as a minute's silence or a one-minute silence) is a period of silent contemplation, prayer, reflection, or meditation. Similar to flying a flag at half-mast, a moment of silence is often a gesture o ...

in Rubinstein's memory, despite the fact that he was still alive. During the session, Burg delivered a eulogy and recited the El Malei Rachamim. Rubinstein announced his resignation from the Knesset in July 2002, which took effect in October of that year. Rubinstein was a

patron and previously as a vice president of the organization.

In the Government

In 1984, Rubinstein was appointed Minister of Communications in the National Unity Government led by

Shimon Peres Shimon Peres ( ; ; born Szymon Perski, ; 2 August 1923 – 28 September 2016) was an Israeli politician and statesman who served as the prime minister of Israel from 1984 to 1986 and from 1995 to 1996 and as the president of Israel from 2007 t ...

. He held this position until 1987, serving in the 21st and 22nd Israeli governments. During his tenure, he introduced several reforms, including the establishment of commercial television, cable television, and regional radio stations. Following the 1992 elections and the formation of

Yitzhak Rabin Yitzhak Rabin (; , ; 1 March 1922 – 4 November 1995) was an Israeli politician, statesman and general. He was the prime minister of Israel, serving two terms in office, 1974–1977, and from 1992 until Assassination of Yitzhak Rabin, his ass ...

's government, Rubinstein was appointed Minister of Science and Technology and Minister of Energy and Infrastructure. During this period, he initiated the Electricity Sector Law, 1996, which led to the creation of the Public Utilities Authority – Electricity. He also worked to introduce competition in the fuel industry by breaking the

monopoly A monopoly (from Greek language, Greek and ) is a market in which one person or company is the only supplier of a particular good or service. A monopoly is characterized by a lack of economic Competition (economics), competition to produce ...

of fuel companies on imports. Amnon rubinstein

In 1994, Rubinstein was appointed Minister of Education, Culture, and Sport after

Shulamit Aloni Shulamit Aloni (; 27 December 1927 – 24 January 2014) was an Israeli politician. She founded the Ratz (political party), Ratz party, was leader of the Meretz party, Leader of the Opposition (Israel), Leader of the Opposition from 1988 to 1990, ...

's resignation. He held the position until 1996. As Minister of Education, Rubinstein gained popularity for his liberal views, particularly on high school matriculation exams and his criticism of the Psychometric Entrance Test, remarking that he might not have been able to study law had such a test existed during his time. Rubinstein introduced two major reforms during his tenure. The first focused on restructuring matriculation exams. Under his leadership, the Ministry of Education increased the matriculation pass rate by implementing measures such as eliminating external exams for some core subjects. Between 1994 and 1996, the matriculation eligibility rate rose by over 5%, reaching approximately 45% of each student cohort. The second reform involved the establishment of academic colleges. This initiative included both state-funded institutions, such as the Tel Aviv–Yafo Academic College, and privately funded ones, like the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya. After retiring from politics, Rubinstein became a vocal critic of the Israeli left. He accused the left of becoming increasingly radical in efforts to accommodate

Palestinian Palestinians () are an Arab ethnonational group native to the Levantine region of Palestine. *: "Palestine was part of the first wave of conquest following Muhammad's death in 632 CE; Jerusalem fell to the Caliph Umar in 638. The indigenous p ...

rights. Following the signing of the Geneva Initiative by then-

leader Yossi Beilin, Rubinstein left Meretz, opposing its compromise on the

Law of Return The Law of Return (, ''ḥok ha-shvūt'') is an Israeli law, passed on 5 July 1950, which gives Jews, people with one or more Jewish grandparent, and their spouses the right to Aliyah, relocate to Israel and acquire Israeli nationality law, Isra ...

. In 2007, during a legal debate over proposed judicial reforms by

Justice Minister A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice, is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

Daniel Friedmann, Rubinstein supported several of Friedmann's initiatives. He co-initiated a

petition A petition is a request to do something, most commonly addressed to a government official or public entity. Petitions to a deity are a form of prayer called supplication. In the colloquial sense, a petition is a document addressed to an officia ...

endorsing these reforms, stating:

Academic career

In 1963, Rubinstein became the first dean of the Faculty of Law at

Tel Aviv University Tel Aviv University (TAU) is a Public university, public research university in Tel Aviv, Israel. With over 30,000 students, it is the largest university in the country. Located in northwest Tel Aviv, the university is the center of teaching and ...

, a position he held until 1970. His research focused on the constitutional law of Israel, exploring topics such as the state's nature,

Zionism Zionism is an Ethnic nationalism, ethnocultural nationalist movement that emerged in History of Europe#From revolution to imperialism (1789–1914), Europe in the late 19th century that aimed to establish and maintain a national home for the ...

, the status of the

, and the

civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' political freedom, freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and ...

Palestinian citizens of Israel The Arab citizens of Israel form the country's largest ethnic minority. Their community mainly consists of former Palestinian Citizenship Order 1925, Mandatory Palestine citizens (and their descendants) who continued to inhabit the territory ...

. In 2006, Rubinstein was awarded the

for legal research. The judging panel described him as: After retiring from the Knesset in 2002, Rubinstein served as the dean of the Radzyner School of Law at the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya from 2002 to 2004 and briefly as the president of the Interdisciplinary Center. He also held positions as a visiting professor at international academic institutions, including

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

and

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

Journalism and literature

Rubinstein had a media career as a

columnist A columnist is a person who writes for publication in a series, creating an article that usually offers commentary and opinions. Column (periodical), Columns appear in newspapers, magazines and other publications, including blogs. They take the ...

and commentator. In the 1960s, he wrote articles criticizing religious coercion and concessions made to religious political parties. He gained fame as a popular columnist and interviewee. Between 1969 and 1972, he hosted a debate program on Israel Educational Television titled ''Boomerang''. From 1964 until 2004, he was a member of the editorial board of ''

Haaretz ''Haaretz'' (; originally ''Ḥadshot Haaretz'' – , , ) is an List of newspapers in Israel, Israeli newspaper. It was founded in 1918, making it the longest running newspaper currently in print in Israel. The paper is published in Hebrew lan ...

'' and a regular contributor, focusing on issues of religion and state and addressing

antisemitism Antisemitism or Jew-hatred is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who harbours it is called an antisemite. Whether antisemitism is considered a form of racism depends on the school of thought. Antisemi ...

, particularly that which he attributed to the political left in Europe. He also wrote regularly for the ''

Ma'ariv ''Maariv'' or ''Maʿariv'' (, ), also known as ''Arvit'', or ''Arbit'' (, ), is a Jewish prayer service held in the evening or at night. It consists primarily of the evening '' Shema'' and ''Amidah''. The service will often begin with two ...

'' weekend supplement and international publications, including ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

''. In 2005, Rubinstein published his first

novel A novel is an extended work of narrative fiction usually written in prose and published as a book. The word derives from the for 'new', 'news', or 'short story (of something new)', itself from the , a singular noun use of the neuter plural of ...

, ''The Blanket'', which explored interconnected stories of Israeli characters from pre-state days to the present, addressing central themes in Israeli society. He followed this with ''Highway No. 5'' (2006), ''The Sea Above Us'' (2007), ''Separate Entrance'' (2009), and ''Forbidden Loves'' (2010). In 2022, he published the futuristic novel ''Methuselah''. Rubinstein hosted a radio program on Kol HaMusika, ''A Musical Morning for Truck and Bus Drivers'', from 2014 to 2015. Rubinstein wrote extensively on the investigation and prosecution of public figures in Israel, arguing that enforcement bodies wield excessive and unchecked power over elected officials. He highlighted cases where such power appeared to have been misused.

Later years and death

In 2020, Rubinstein participated in ''The Future Archive'', a documentation project highlighting the generation of intellectuals who significantly influenced early Israeli culture. Rubinstein lived in

and died on January 18, 2024. He was survived by a son and a daughter.

Awards

In 2006, Rubinstein won the

, for law. The Israel Prize award committee provided the following endorsement for its decision: In 2003, Rubinstein was named a Knight of Quality Government in the Lifetime Achievement category by the Movement for Quality Government. He received the Hashin Prize for Academic Excellence in Law in 2010, the Gorney Prize for Public Law (2016) for his contribution to public law, the ISEF Award for social contribution in 2013, the Herzog Prize for unique contributions to Israel (2018), and the Ramat Gan Literary Award (2015). In 2022, he was awarded the EMET Prize for Law. In 2022, the "Rubinstein Center for Constitutional Challenges" was established in his name at

Reichman University Reichman University () is Israel's only private university, located in Herzliya, Tel Aviv District. It was founded in 1994 as the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya (IDC Herzliya, ) private college, before being rebranded in 2021. It receives n ...

Selected works by Amnon Rubinstein

Non-fiction books: * 1965: ''Jurisdiction and Illegality'' (Oxford University Press) (English) * 1969: ''The Constitutional Law of the State of Israel'', Schocken Publishing House (sixth edition published in 2005 with Dr. Barak Medina). (Hebrew) * 1975: ''Enforcing Morality in a Permissive Society'', Schocken Publishing. (Hebrew) * 1997: ''From Herzl to Rabin and Beyond'', Schocken Publishing. (Hebrew) * 1998: ''A Certain Political Experience'', Yedioth Ahronoth Publishing. (Hebrew) * 1982: ''From Herzl to Gush Emunim and Back Again'', Schocken Publishing. (Hebrew) * 1984: ''The Zionist Dream Revisited'', Schocken Books, New York, and Calmann-Lévy, Paris (English) (also published in French). * 1993: ''Basic Law: The Knesset'', in the series Interpretation of the Basic Laws, Harry Sacker Institute, with Ran Har-Zahav. (Hebrew) * 2000: ''From Herzl to Rabin: The Changing Image of Zionism'', Holmes & Meier Publishers, New York (English) (also published in Russian). * 2001: ''History of Zionism: From Theodor Herzl to Today''. (Hebrew) * 2001: ''Daat Yachid'', Schocken Publishing. (Hebrew) * 2003: ''Israel and the Family of Nations'' (with Alexander Yakobson), Schocken Publishing. (Hebrew) * 2009: ''Israel and the Family of Nations'' – (with Alexander Yakobson), Routledge, London (English) (also published in French). * 2012: ''Without Government – How to Fix the System’s Faults'' (with Adam Wolfson), Zmora-Bitan Publishing. (Hebrew) * 2014: ''Cracks in the Academy: Academic Freedom, University Independence, Student Status, and the Right to Higher Education'' (with Yitzhak Pasha), Nevo Publishing and Dvir Publishing. (Hebrew) * 2017: ''The Tribes of the State of Israel: Together and Apart – Liberalism and Multiculturalism in Israel'', Dvir Publishing. (Hebrew) * 2019: ''The Story of Secular Jews'', Kinneret Zmora-Bitan Dvir.Israel Hayom, Shaul Ben Shushan, "Jewish Instinct", 28 June 2019. (Hebrew) Novels: * ''The Blanket'', Schocken Publishing, 2005. (Hebrew) * ''Highway No. 5'', Schocken Publishing, 2006. (Hebrew) * ''The Sea Above Us'', Schocken Publishing, 2007. (Hebrew) * ''Separate Entrance (Short Stories)'', Zmora-Bitan, 2009. (Hebrew) * ''Forbidden Loves'', Zmora-Bitan, 2010. (Hebrew) * ''The Black Sun'', Zmora-Bitan, 2013. (Hebrew)

References

External links

Official website
*
The right to democracyFathom: For a deeper understanding of Israel and the region
30 January 2013

* ttps://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/rubinstein.html Amnon Rubinstein at Jewish Virtual Library {{DEFAULTSORT:Rubinstein, Amnon 1931 births 2024 deaths Scholars of constitutional law Israeli educators Jewish Israeli politicians Israeli legal scholars Israel Prize in law recipients Alumni of the London School of Economics Politicians from Tel Aviv Scholars of antisemitism Academic staff of Tel Aviv University Academic staff of Reichman University Shinui leaders Democratic Movement for Change politicians Meretz politicians Ministers of education of Israel Ministers of science of Israel Members of the 9th Knesset (1977–1981) Members of the 10th Knesset (1981–1984) Members of the 11th Knesset (1984–1988) Members of the 12th Knesset (1988–1992) Members of the 13th Knesset (1992–1996) Members of the 14th Knesset (1996–1999) Members of the 15th Knesset (1999–2003) Ministers of communications of Israel Deans of law schools in Israel